Olivier Giroud last night once again rescued Arsenal with a late strike against Preston. The Frenchman now has 8 goals and 5 assists to his name this season in just over 700 minutes of football.
The 30-year-old recently regained his place in the starting XI after an injury to Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil. With a contract until 2018, there are still doubts over Giroud’s future at the North London club.
According to Italian website Calciomercato, Giroud could be a transfer target for Serie A clubs next summer.
Calciomercato say Arsenal offered Olivier Giroud in a possible deal for Argentine forwards Mauro Icardi and Gonzalo Higuain, but nothing materialised. The Italian website believe rumours of Arsene Wenger’s possible departure in the summer could also be a reason for Giroud’s exit.
Arsenal face the daunting task of convincing important players to renew their contracts. Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil have 18 months left on their contracts, and according to recent claims none of them are close to renewing.
All three players have been essential to the Arsenal team this season, and the North London club will need to act quickly to keep them.
Calciomercato have been encouraged to speculate by Giroud’s recent goalscoring form, and that’s all this seems. However, the player’s stock is certainly rising around Europe, which will help him in contract negotiations.
